‘There’s enough for all’
“Jesus had a lot to say about money, but the songs we sing in worship rarely do.” These words from the album description of Bryan Moyer Suderman’s 2007 album, My Money Talks, provide a snapshot into the goal of the album: to intentionally provide songs for churches that help them talk about money. The songs…
Watch: “Mennonites Put the Oba in Manitoba”
While there are Mennonites aulawäajen (everywhere) in Manitoba, Jeremy Giesbrecht and Darren Kehler of the Quonset Brothers have found that such is true internationally now that thousands of people have watched the video for their song, “Mennonites Put the Oba in Manitoba.” Written by Kehler to the tune of a classic country song, the lyrics…
Bluegrass band enjoying ‘a real music summer’
After more than two years of putting a pause on performing, Manitoba bluegrass quintet the Stanley County Cut-ups is finally playing again. “I would say that the cogs are back in motion for musicians,” says Jess Reimer, the band’s bassist. For the Cut-ups, this is a busy summer. The group has already played at multiple…
Music comes alive through synesthesia, art
Imagine if you could see sound. When Anna Schwartz listens to music, she not only hears the different instruments, keys and dynamics—she sees them. That’s because she has synesthesia, a neurological condition in which information entering a person’s brain stimulates multiple senses at once. Only four percent of people worldwide are synesthetes. For some, biting…
MC Canada invites submissions for virtual choir
Mennonite Church Canada is putting together a virtual choir for Gathering 2022, and you are invited to join. The choir will record “Greater Things Than These,” a song that Winnipeg pastor and songwriter Phil Campbell-Enns composed for the event. The song starts with a reflection on Jesus’ birth before meditating on the notion that Canadian…
Moses Mugisha’s gift of song to God
Born in the African country of Rwanda, Moses Mugisha and his family moved to Tanzania, because of poverty and other circumstances. They lived there as refugees for almost six years. “I always loved to sing. I would find myself walking long distances just to get to church to practise, and then again the next day…
Watch: Ohio band Girl Named Tom’s big year
Last year was a big one for Girl Named Tom, a sibling band composed of Mennonites from Pettisville, Ohio. On Dec. 14, Caleb, Joshua and Bekah Liechty became the first group to win the NBC singing competition The Voice. Competing on the show’s 21st season resulted in international exposure, US$100,000 and a recording contract for…
Smile!
Are you finding it hard to smile these days? So much heaviness weighs down on the world. In the face of all that is wrong around us, we strive to be responsible citizens, kind people and faithful followers of Jesus. But sometimes it’s hard to find much good news. Recently, I’ve been on the lookout…
Watch: “Amish Paradise,” 25 years later
It’s been 25 years since legendary music parodist “Weird Al” Yankovic lampooned the Amish, mentioning Mennonites along the way. Bad Hair Day, Yankovic’s ninth album, was released on this day in 1996. It has sold more than 2 million copies in the United States alone. The lead single, “Amish Paradise”—and the video that accompanied it—parodies…
Paul Bergman returns with new single
It’s been more than five years since Paul Bergman’s last album, but the wait for new music is over. “I Just Want to Walk in the Dark with You,” a three-minute single from the southern Manitoba singer-songwriter, is out today. Bergman wrote the song almost 15 years ago. He recorded it during the sessions that…
